The Elder Scrolls: Memoirs of a Dragonborn
by ZealousPhoenix245
Summary: The journal of Sadril Thaer, Dunmer mage and the fabled Dragonborn of prophecy. The volumes within tell the tale of his trek across the tundra of Skyrim and how he came to be the vanquisher of Alduin the World-Eater. WARNING: short, piecemeal chapters, heavy lore referencing, mention of gore and violence. Follows main quest with mentions of the College questline.
1. 21st of Last Seed, 4E 201

The Elder Scrolls: Memoirs of a Dragonborn  
By: ZealousPhoenix245  
Disclaimer: I only own my Dragonborn, Sadril Thaer, and his back story. Elder Scrolls belongs to Bethesda.

Quick Author's Note: Well, here I am again! New story, surprise surprise, but I do plan to finish this one. It's not quite as time-demanding as full blown fics, and plus, I've got a lot of it prewritten already. Anyway, as you may have gathered from my crappy summary, Memoirs is going to be essentially the life of my Dragonborn, a Dunmer named Sadril Thaer, from the events of Helgen onward. I'm working on a story called **The Elder Scrolls:** **Divergence **that is going to tie heavily in with Memoirs, and Divergence, in turn, ties in with my other Elder Scrolls fanfiction, Honor Bound. It's somewhat complex, I know, but there's a point floating about in this half-empty head of mine. I'll get it out eventually. Just hold tight.

Anyway, the chapters are going to be short because I'm trying to make this somewhat realistic for the journal of a hero. Sadril's not going to have time to sit and write five page essays recounting every single gritty detail of the main questline in his journal since he's running around trying to stop a world-hungry dragon god. Besides, you all know how Skyrim goes. I'm not going to make you sit there and read it aaaaaall over again especially considering I'm not really changing much of anything. This is backstory, to be blunt, for Divergence and Honor Bound. And it's kind of a for-fun characterization thing I'm doing anyway. Yeah. I'm odd. I know. Anyway, here goes nothing. Hope you enjoy! :)

~ZealousPhoenix

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Fredas, 21st of Last Seed, 4E 201

I figured I'd take that Khajiit merchant's words to heart, as my mind has been jumbled due to events these past few days, and keep a journal for something other than experiments. I'd been meaning to for years, but the incentive was never strong enough, I suppose.

The past few days, what with Helgen and all, have been a blur. To find out that I'm some fabled Nordic hero? Well, it came as a shock. Had I not witnessed the tendrils of that dragon, Mirmulnir's, soul flowing into my own body, I never would've believed it. The Whiterun guards had looked just as shocked that an elf had inherited their most esteemed cultural title. Ha! Though, I can somehow understand. It would've been like a Nord or an Imperial being the Nerevarine instead of a Dunmer.

But I won't deny that the perks of having such a name can be rewarding. I'd reckon to say that I' m the first mer to be Thane of a hold in a while… Then again, I may be wrong. My Nordic studies were always lacking, considering my place of upbringing. The Dominion liked to filter human culture from provided education quite a bit. Enough of that, though. Depressing thoughts for another time.

The Greybeards, after training me for all of three hours, promptly sent me off to fetch some blasted relic of theirs from some gods-forsaken tomb called Ustengrad. I'm a conjuration mage, not some apprentice for them to order around as they please. I had half a mind to tell them that if they wanted it so bad, to get it themselves. I promised Uncle Savos that I would be at the College for enrollment a week ago, and I have reason enough to suspect that my letters are being intercepted as I've yet to hear a reply. Certainly he would've written upon hearing about my near execution. Savos isn't one to ignore something like that, especially after Mother and Father's death during the raid.

I've decided not to question it for now, as I do have decidedly more pressing matters to deal with and he's surely busy himself, being Arch-Mage and all. I remember when he visited Haven boasting of the then newly-acquired title. Mother was so happy for her eldest brother. It was quite odd to see her acting as the star-struck younger sibling when I was constantly afraid of getting a scolding if I was so much as late for supper. Amusing, I'll admit, but odd nonetheless.

At any rate, my studies are going to have to be put off until I figure out what exactly is going on with this dragon issue. Call it my curiosity being piqued, but finding out how to stop it before it escalates too far out of hand is my first priority. The dragon at the watchtower back in Whiterun was most definitely not the dragon that attacked Helgen. This one was weaker, and seemed to be following orders of some sort. When I absorbed the soul, I got the beast's memories, to an extent. Mirmulnir was anticipating something, an arrival, and shortly after the black dragon flew away from the disaster it had created, I sensed a sort of glee from the memories. Relief, perhaps. Whatever it was exactly, it was concerning. Too concerning. When I broached the subject with Master Arngeir, he merely exchanged worried glances with Master Borri and said that it wasn't important "as of yet". I'm keeping myself on guard until I can weasel a decent explanation out of him.

On another note, this "Horn of Jergen Windcaller" isn't going to retrieve itself, and it is nearing dawn. Hopefully, with a little work, I can unravel this mess soon.

~Sadril Thaer

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Final Words: Well, lemme know what you think. This is my first attempt at writing something entirely in a journal format, and it's a bit trickier than one might think.

R&R!  
~ZealousPhoenix


	2. 29th of Last Seed, 4E 201

**The Elder Scrolls: Memoirs of a Dragonborn**

By: ZealousPhoenix245

29th of Last Seed, 4E 201

Solitude has to be by far one of the more impressive cities I've seen, and that's counting the Imperial City and Falinesti. I don't consider myself an easily impressed man by any means, but the natural archway and the Blue Palace are quite the sights to behold, if I'm quite honest.

Now, where was my last entry? Oh! Yes, Ustengrad and the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Well, it turns out that all the scouring I did through Draugr infested tunnels for the greater good was for naught, as someone had managed to find a back way through (or bypassed the undead Nords, in which case my irritation is tenfold) and _steal the Horn before I could and leave only a damned note in apology_. Where has common courtesy to leave compensation gone these days? I was irked enough that I stupidly followed the course towards Riverwood that the aforementioned letter left and found out that the innkeeper in the sleepy little hamlet was the culprit all along. In fact Delphine was the one who had Farengar send me to retrieve the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow. Apparently, she's one of the last surviving members of the old bodyguards of the Septim emperors, the Blades, and has also been working on the whole "dragons are back" issue. Grave news followed our meeting:

Dragon's aren't just reappearing; they're coming back to _life_. They were dead, and _something _or _someone_ has been resurrecting them. Delphine is almost certain that the Thalmor have something to do with it, but I'm not so sure. The Blades and the Thalmor do _NOT_ like each other, so her blaming them without leaving room to speculate on other options makes me think it's just a bunch of hot air borne of hatred of the enemy. And while I wouldn't put it past the Thalmor to stoop so low as to find the means to do such a thing, Dragon Shouts are powerful. Who knows what all they're capable of, especially since the Greybeards tend to be tight-lipped on the subject? That black dragon from Helgen was MIA at the moment, so it was plausible to suggest that a dragon, perchance even _that_ dragon, was as responsible as those yellow-skinned sons of bitches.

Through using the Dragonstone, Delphine was able to figure that the resurrections appear to be following a pattern able to be tracked to a burial mound near Kynesgrove. Upon heading there, we found that very same dragon that attacked Helgen raising the previously dead dragon. My theory had been right. Sahloknir called the dragon Alduin. Now this…this is a story I'd heard whispers of back in Valenwood. The World-Eater. If that is true, then we're all doomed if a way to stop him can't be found. It's daunting.

Delphine, however, still wouldn't listen to reason even after killing Sahloknir and carted me off to Solitude to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy. That particular adventure is scheduled for tomorrow, appearing as a party guest and then slipping away indiscreetly with the aid of one of Delphine's contacts within the Embassy. After the raid on my village and watching those Justiciars murder my parents…I've no love for the Thalmor. Rather, like Malborn (Delphine's Bosmer contact), I hold a fear of them that is causing me to be reluctant to act upon mere suspicion of mere probable involvement. Alas, I'll do as is asked of me. It's the only way I see any form of viable answers spewing from Delphine's mouth in the near future.

Diverging from that topic, I've yet to hear from Uncle Savos. It has me marginally worried, but I can't take time to go to the College unless my current quest happens to send me there. I suppose I can only hope it will soon enough.

Sleep calls to me for the time being. I've an early day tomorrow, after all.

~Sadril Thaer


	3. 1st of Hearthfire, 4E 201

**The Elder Scrolls: Memoirs of a Dragonborn  
**By: ZealousPhoenix245

Quick Author's Note: I just now realized that I was spelling "Ustengrav" as "Ustengrad". Forgive the error. :)

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1st of Hearthfire, 4E 201

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Just as I told Delphine, the Thalmor had _nothing_ to do with Alduin's return. Does that miserable pup not realize that I'm older than her by many, many seasons? It infuriates me at times. Did no one teach her as a child to respect her elders? Bah!

I'm not proud of it, but I filched some documents from the Embassy (whereby I proceeded to kill a few Thalmor agents, much to my pleasure, free a captive Thieves' Guild member, and compromised and nearly get Malborn killed, but I digress). Ironically, the Thalmor were blaming the Blades for the dragon situation, but that's not the point. They were looking for some guy named Esbern, suspected to be in Riften. According to Delphine, he was the loremaster for the Blades back in the day, and if anyone would know what's going on or what to do, it's him. She also said he's probably in the Ratways, which I'm not looking forward to. That's Thieves' Guild territory, from what I understand. Quite frankly, I'm a bit leery of the whole issue, but I fail to be in a position to do anything about it. Going with the flow has gotten me this far, which is father than I'll admit to have gotten by myself, so the flow is where I shall stick.

More and more dragons have been cropping up lately. I can barely keep up with all of them, the hacking and slashing and demands to come to such and such city in the name of this and that Jarl. It's driving me up a wall. I've come to just ignore the letters.

Speaking of letters, I've not heard anything from Savos. I'm downright worried, but my hands are tied. Rumor has it that something interesting was discovered thanks to some mages snooping around a ruin called Saarthal, which could plausibly explain the lack of contact. Savos is probably busy. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Riften is about a day's walk away. I plan to make camp and set off first thing in the morning.

Things can only get worse from here.

~Sadril Thaer


	4. 3rd of Hearthfire, 4E 201

**The Elder Scrolls: Memoirs of a Dragonborn  
**By: ZealousPhoenix245

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3rd of Hearthfire, 4E 201

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Yep. Things certainly got worse.

Once collecting Esbern from his little cocoon of locks and heavy iron doors (and fighting off several Thalmor agents in the process – they're becoming more and more irritating as the days go on) and finally convincing him that, no, hope was _not_ completely lost and that, _yes_, I'm Dragonborn, we set off for Delphine in Riverwood. Esbern is actually a very seasoned scholar, and I thoroughly enjoyed the intellect integrated in our steady conversation. Not that Delphine was entirely stupid, she just wasn't the best of people with whom to strike up a conversation about the metaphysical aspects behind mythopoeic pantheons.

He rambled for a bit about Alduin being the prophesized devourer of the world and even touched a bit on the Dragon War. I'd never been much for history, but considering that this was history that could make or break the future of Nirn, I certainly found it to contain a certain amount of…_mysticism_. In an old Akaviri Temple in the Reach, Esbern mentioned, there's a wall telling of Alduin's defeat by the ancient Tongues back during the Merethic Era. Once there, he said, it's probable we can figure out how the ancients defeated him and use their method to our advantage. Currently, he, Delphine, and myself are halfway to Karthspire. Breaks are few and far between (the Breton woman would've made an excellent drill sergeant in the army if her innkeeper act hadn't have held together), but Esbern thankfully seems to be keeping up okay. It concerns me how frail humans can be sometimes. The old Nord is only a fraction of my age, yet is less physically suited for the trek than myself.

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_The entry ends abruptly with the bottom half of the page torn and somewhat singed._


End file.
